Kwun Tong Promenade/VESSEL/HKALPS
Underneath the lengthy highway, racing down the waterline is the Kwun Tong Promenade. It is a revamp of the former Kwun Tong Cargo Working Area under the Kai Tak Development, according to Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Service Department. Remnants of the industrial still linger, literally hanging above from 161 Hoi Bun Road, an industrial bridge that once transported flour from the factory to the docks.
In the middle of the promenade is the spaces VESSELS, operated by the HKALPS, an organization “who share the vision of creating a unique SPACE in the three sites underneath Kwun Tong Bypass for ARTS, LAND, and PEOPLE.”
According to their website HKALPS is a registered charitable organization formed by a group of professionals with an array of sectors, which includes Arts, Social Enterprise, Sports, and Green. This is also representative of VESSELS’ claim to mission, written in on their “About” page, that they “aim to cultivate creative processes by means of art, culture, green living, sports, and community engagement.”
VESSEL is a space operated by HKALPS. “The venue will be open to the public when there is no booking, vice versa, the venue only for hirer use when there is a booking from hirer,” HKALPS responded when asked whether it is a public or private space.
This question is strange. It brought on more questions about how spaces in this city are defined. Kwun Tong Promenade is a part of EKEO’s Kai Tak Development (KTD) project. This is an on-going government revitalization of the Kai Tak, Kwun Tong neighborhood.
“Kai Tak Development (KTD) is a huge and highly complex development project spanning a total planning area of over 320 hectares covering the ex-airport site together with the adjoining hinterland districts of Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong,” as stated on KTD.gov.hk.
The pursuit of redeveloped urban public space is widespread. Island side has beautified North Point piers, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, East Coast Park Precinct etc. That begs the question of how do these spaces operate in Hong Kong?
Can we define these places as public space?